In February 2019 we carried out an open area excavation in the Midlands where we found an array of fascinating archaeological features and artefacts. The site had previously been investigated and was known to contain remains dating to the prehistoric and Anglo-Saxon periods.
During the excavation work that we carried out on the site we found two late Neolithic – Early Bronze Age ring ditches. These monuments probably originally had mounds, or barrows, in their centres however these had long since been ploughed away by agricultural practices.
Three different phases of Anglo-Saxon activity and occupation were identified on the site and were represented by a number of enclosures and smaller features such as pits and spreads of midden material. Two Anglo-Saxon human skeletons were also found. One of these had been laid in a grave however the other had been ‘dumped’ within the partially in-filled ditch of one of the enclosures and showed signs that the individual had suffered multiple cuts to the head and body. An Anglo-Saxon grubenhaus, or sunken-featured building, was also discovered on the site. These small tent-like structures were partially sunken into the ground, as the name suggests, and were most typically used as small workshops. The grubenhaus on this site produced clay loom weights as well as a delicate copper alloy dress pin and a pair of tweezers.